Self-care is essential to living a balanced life, and it’s especially important during recovery. Eating well, being active and practicing mindfulness are incredibly helpful in staying sober. But it’s all meaningless if you’re running on empty. Sleep deprivation is a recovery setback. When you aren’t getting enough quality, restorative sleep, it’s harder to manage stress, control [...]

The transition into sobriety is challenging for both the addict and their loved ones. It’s something families have to deal with together, which isn’t a simple process, as those struggling with addiction often shut down and pull away from others, despite it being a time where family support is what they need most. That being [...]

Co-occurring disorders, also referred to as dual diagnosis, is a term for when mental illness and substance use disorder occur at the same time. According to a 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 7.9 million Americans experience co-occurring disorders. Either disorder can develop first. People struggling with a mental health condition may self-medicate with alcohol [...]

Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy recovery. Proponents of holistic therapies like meditation, acupuncture and yoga will tell you that they improve mental and physical health in more natural, less invasive ways, and they’re becoming increasingly common in addiction recovery. These five holistic therapies are often used to augment more traditional approaches to treatment. 1. Meditation [...]

It’s easy to feel happy and carefree when life is going smoothly, but bumps in the road are inevitable, which pose risks for your recovery. When times get tough, it’s often easier to wallow and feel down on yourself than it is to be optimistic, but the best way to avoid slipping back into a [...]

Although cultural norms have started to shift, many men in the United States and around the world are taught from a young age to suppress their emotions, which is why depression among men is so underdiagnosed. Men are much less likely than women to seek treatment for all mental health disorders, especially depression. In fact, many men [...]

Parents never stop being parents, even as children grow up, get jobs, move out and have families of their own. As a parent, you’re committed to your child’s success, regardless of their age, and you can’t help but feel affected when he or she is struggling. You’ve spent your life teaching your child the skills [...]

We all deal with stress. Some of us might even enjoy the excitement a little stress can add to our lives. But when stress is combined with poor coping skills, it increases the likelihood of addiction by making a person respond to stress more impulsively or by self-medicating. The Difference Between Good and Bad Stress [...]

Both genders feel pressure to keep quiet about their problems, but this pressure is exceptionally strong for men, and it presents a slippery slope. Men are not immune to pressures related to self-image, work and emotions, so when they’re facing challenges or struggling with negative feelings, they may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms like self-medication, [...]

“We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.” That’s Step 1 of the 12-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and as anyone who is active in the 12-Step community will tell you, admitting powerlessness is far from a sign of defeat. Step One AA: The First Step Toward a Solution [...]